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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wake — a trail
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — decided
  5. clip — to cut
  6. kick — in football
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. clip — for paper
  9. firm — a company
  10. rest — what's left
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. perch — the fish
  13. band — a music group
  14. rest — a break
  15. band — a ring
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. clip — a video
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. kick — with a leg

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com